Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners in Illinois

Get the information you need to know about working as a Meeting, Convention, or Event Planner.

You’re in luck! Jobs for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners in Illinois are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners in Illinois is growing faster than average.

• Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners in Illinois earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners Work in Illinois?

4,420 people worked as Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners in 2018 in this state.

There were 4,160 Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 260 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 1,210 Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners working in it, which means Illinois has more Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners than average.

Job Projections for Illinois

Jobs for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners in this state are growing at a rate of 6.6% which is slower than the nationwide estimated projection of 10.9%.

Illinois Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 670 annual job openings, and a total of 5,780 jobs for Illinois Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 15,100 annual jobs and 129,400 total jobs in 2026.

What do Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners Make in Illinois?

In 2018 wages for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners ranged from $25,390 to $80,730 with $49,170 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $12.21 to $38.81. The median hourly rate was $23.64.

In 2017 the median pay for this field was $23.96 an hour.

The hourly rate declined by $0.32.

The median salary in Illinois is higher than the nationwide median salary.

Top Illinois Metros for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	3,810	$50,000
St. Louis, MO-IL	1,120	$50,500
Bloomington, IL	200	$59,160
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	90	$36,550
Springfield, IL	70	$38,330
Champaign-Urbana, IL	60	$42,090
Peoria, IL	40	$39,080

Top States for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners Employment

View the list below to see where most Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	16,200	$53,100
New York	10,340	$60,510
Florida	7,540	$45,130
Texas	7,490	$49,080
Illinois	4,420	$49,170
Virginia	3,870	$57,980
Pennsylvania	3,840	$45,160
North Carolina	3,120	$42,520
Massachusetts	3,090	$52,480
New Jersey	3,060	$61,750
Colorado	3,030	$48,210
Ohio	3,000	$44,890
Maryland	2,870	$55,760
Michigan	2,720	$45,530
Georgia	2,700	$48,370
Washington	2,650	$49,690
Minnesota	2,530	$51,650
District of Columbia	2,510	$65,090
Missouri	2,360	$42,390
Tennessee	1,830	$41,170

Below are the states where Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$65,090
New Jersey	$61,750
New York	$60,510
Virginia	$57,980
Connecticut	$56,470
Maryland	$55,760
Hawaii	$53,740
Alaska	$53,320
California	$53,100
Rhode Island	$52,940

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By Bblackpsu under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.